U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Feature Story

Six Week Journey of AmeriCorps' National Civilian Community Corps Crew

On June 3rd, a team of nine young people flew from Sacramento, CA to Anchorage to begin a six week journey in Alaska. The team is a part of AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps), a federal program for 18-24 year olds where teams travel, live, and work together with various non-profit organizations. Their first stop in Alaska was the Glennallen Field Office to work with BLM-Alaska and get some training.

A team member practices firing off inert bear spray during their bear safety training at the field office

AmeriCorps NCCC Crew at beginning of Denali Highway

In their first week, the team traveled along the Denali Highway with a BLM seasonal worker and an SCA (Student Conservation Association) field intern, stopping at BLM trails and sites on the way to remove trash and clear brush, among other odd jobs.

The team clears brush behind Ten Mile Cabin to help reduce fire risk

The team also leveled parking lots and pathways

They moved campsites each night, always enjoying a beautiful view.

One of their gorgeous campsites

The team made it to Denali, and was able to enjoy their days off at the national park.

They will continue to work with BLM-Alaska for the remainder of their second week in Alaska, removing a trespass cabin and doing more trail maintenance, before moving on to work with WISE (Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment) in Copper Center and then the CRWP (Copper River Watershed Project) and U.S. Forest Service in Cordova. The team is incredibly thrilled to have this chance to visit Alaska and will definitely enjoy the rest of their time there.